“Bunching” deductions could cut your taxes

Getting the most benefit from tax deductions requires multi-year planning as well as consideration of the alternative minimum tax (AMT).

The multi-year part involves “bunching” your expenses. That’s a strategy where you decide to accelerate or delay payments between different years for itemized deductions such as state income taxes, routine health care, and charitable contributions. You calculate the tax savings for each year and choose the most advantageous time to pay the expense and claim the deduction.

The AMT adds another step to the calculation because it eliminates certain deductions. For instance, state and local income taxes are not deductible when figuring AMT liability.

What if you usually claim the standard deduction? You’ll still want to take a look at your total itemized deductions in case you’re close enough to the tipping point to consider accelerating some expenses into 2012. In addition, there are circumstances where itemizing makes sense even when the total is lower than your standard deduction. Your exposure to the AMT can come into play here, too, since the standard deduction is not allowed in the AMT calculation.

For 2012, the regular standard deduction when you’re married filing jointly is $11,900 ($5,950 for singles). The last few months of the year is a good time to review your situation and consider opportunities for bunching deductions. Planning could help you salvage itemized deductions that would otherwise be lost. Contact our office for more information about this tax-cutting strategy.